Perhaps someone in the Diocese of Cork & Ross would proof-read before publishing.....?
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Pope meets cardinal sentenced for financial crimes, banned from conclave
For Pope Leo XIV, with nearly a month at the helm and around two weeks of scheduling meetings and making some initial decisions, beyond the expected meetings with state leaders in town for his election and installation activities, his top priorities are already beginning to take shape.
On the whole, they seem to indicate his intention to carry on the unfinished business of the Francis papacy, from finances to the abuse crisis to the reform of the Roman Curia.
One of the most notable meetings came Tuesday, May 27, when Pope Leo held a private meeting with the disgraced Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu, 76, who in December 2023 was sentenced to five and a half years in jail at the culmination of the Vatican’s Trial of the Century for financial crimes related to a shady real estate deal in London, in which the Vatican took a bath of roughly $250 million.
In addition to his jail time, Becciu was also fined roughly $8,700 and permanently barred from holding any public office in the Vatican City State.
Becciu, the first cardinal to ever be convicted and sentenced in a Vatican civil court, has consistently denied the allegations against him and has filed an appeal.
Prior to the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV, Becciu attended pre-conclave general congregation meetings, insisting he had not been barred from voting in the conclave until he was apparently shown a letter from Pope Francis stating that Becciu could not vote, and withdrew from participation.
The cardinals participating in the general congregations then published a communique thanking Becciu for bowing out gracefully, and voiced hope that the competent judicial authorities would “definitively ascertain the facts.”
Some cardinals were reportedly unhappy with the way Becciu was treated, and believed he got a raw deal.
By meeting with Becciu, Pope Leo is not necessarily rehabilitating or reinstating him, or giving any stamp of approval, but is potentially trying to address one of the most urgent and glaring situations that emerged during pre-conclave meetings that left a bad taste in the mouths of at least some cardinals.
Taken in tandem with his decision to give Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, an official job, however nominal, indicates that Leo is trying to some degree to mend fences and deal with painful situations not just in the church, but in the body of the College of Cardinals.
On May 24, Pope Leo named Sarah as his Special Envoy to preside over the July liturgical celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the apparitions of Saint Anne to the peasant Yvon Nicolazic in France.
Sarah was famously at odds with Pope Francis over several issues, and once came under fire for spinning a book as co-authored with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI condemning proposals to end priestly celibacy as Francis himself was considering those proposals, appearing to pit Benedict and Francis as being at odds.
An avid supporter of the Traditional Latin Mass, which Pope Francis restricted, Sarah was left in leadership by Francis but with his hands effectively tied until he retired promptly upon reaching the age of 75 in 2021.
He has remained a hero and martyr of sorts for more conservative-minded Catholics who felt slighted by Pope Francis, and Leo’s choice to give him a relatively insignificant task was seen as an effort by the pontiff to extend an olive branch amid what likely continues to be a painful situation.
Perhaps most indicative, however, is Pope Leo’s first official meeting after taking office, beyond the heads of state who visited for his election and inaugural Mass.
On May 14, the pope held a private meeting with American Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley, archbishop emeritus of Boston and president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
Prior to the conclave, during the general congregations two issues repeatedly emerged as among the most glaring problems the church continued to face: The Vatican’s financial crisis, and ongoing fallout from the clerical abuse crisis.
His choice to meet with O’Malley as his first official audience, then, is indicative of just how much of a priority the abuse crisis will be in his papacy, especially given his vast experience with the Peru-based Sodalitium Christiane Vitae (SCV), a society of apostolic life whose case the pope had been personally involved in as bishop and cardinals, and which was suppressed by Pope Francis earlier this year, shortly before his death.
Leo had met May 12 with Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar of the Diocese of Rome, though that meeting was most likely focused on his liturgies taking possession of the papal basilicas in Rome: The Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. Mary Major, where Francis is buried, and St. John Lateran, the official cathedral see of the Bishop of Rome.
Also on May 14, Leo met with officials charged with organizing the ongoing Jubilee of Hope and the head of Opus Dei, Spanish Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz.
The meeting with Ocáriz likely focused on the ongoing reform of Opus Dei’s statutes, which was a process ordered by Pope Francis, but which has not yet been finished or formalized, meaning Pope Leo in holding the meeting is likely anxious to bring that issue to a resolution.
That day he also held an unofficial meeting, meaning it was not included in his list of appointments published by the Vatican Press Office, with Italian Sister Simona Brambilla, prefect of the Dicastery for Religious, who signed the SCV’s decree of suppression and is managing several other cases.
Leo also met May 22 with Archbishop Giordano Piccinotti, president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), indicating that the Vatican’s financial situation is also a priority.
Pope Leo has slowly been meeting with the prefects of the dicasteries of the Roman Curia, including a May 15 meeting with the entire leadership of the Dicastery for Integral Human Development: Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect; Sister Alessandra Smerilli, secretary; Cardinal Fagio Baggio, undersecretary; and Monsignor Anthony Onyemuche Ekpo, undersecretary.
Notably, the pope met with Smerilli and Baggio again May 27, without Czerny as prefect, raising expectations that Pope Leo might make good on rumors Pope Francis had intended, prior to his death, to appoint Smerilli as prefect of the Dicastery for Integral Human Development, as Czerny is already 78, three years past the traditional age of retirement for prelates.
The pope also held a meeting May 16 with Cardinal Victor Fernandez, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and he met with Fernandez again May 26, making him the first prefect with whom Pope Leo met twice, before having met with others for the first time.
It is likely that at least part of the conversation during one or both meetings dealt with the ongoing case surrounding Slovene Father Marko Rupnik, a former Jesuit and famed muralist accused of sexually assaulting some 30-40 adult women, and whose case has been among the most notorious in the Catholic Church over the past two years.
Pope Leo said initially that he wanted to leave all dicastery heads in their current positions, taking time to listen, pray, and discern before making any changes, so his meetings with prefects are likely part of his effort to get an accurate lay of the land before making any decisions on personnel.
However, some meetings, such as his first meeting with O’Malley and his choice to meet Piccinotti before even some dicastery prefects, are indicative of his own priorities, and those expressed during pre-conclave meetings.
He also appears eager to address the “unfinished business” of the Francis papacy, in meetings such as that with Ocáriz, while also wanting to mend fences where he can, whether it is with Sarah or Becciu.
Regardless of how to interpret his initial meetings, it is undeniable that Pope Leo wants to get down to business, and if his schedule over the past two weeks is any indication, he is doing just that.
Priest on trial for alleged 'pattern of sexualised behaviour'
Canon Patrick McEntee (70), from Esker Road, Dromore requested a leave of absence in 2022 while a serious safeguarding investigation was carried out.
He denies sexual offences against five males who were pupils at St. Michael’s College, Enniskillen where he taught.
There are four counts of indecently assaulting one complainant between 1988/89 and a single count of indecently assaulting another complainant between 1980/81.
In addition there are a further four counts of indecent assault against three males - two counts against one and single counts against the other two, allegedly between 1978 and 1987.
Setting out an overview of the case to the jury at Dungannon Crown Court, prosecution counsel Sam Magee KC referred to a "pattern of sexualised behaviour" towards the complainants, the youngest of whom, now aged in his fifties, was the first to come forward.
Mr. Magee described how McEntee called the then boy into a room and chastised for his behaviour in class.
He then allegedly touched the boy’s genitals, undid his belt, pulled his trousers down and sexually assaulted him.
McEntee sent him back to class with a warning not to get into trouble again, the court heard.
About three weeks later, McEntee took him into a study where a similar incident occurred.
On a third occasion McEntee grabbed him by the arm and said, “You’re coming with me”.
However, this time the boy, who was around 13, pushed him away, Mr. Magee told the court.
As this was an action against a member of staff the complainant waited to be called to the principal, but nothing happened.
A second complainant read an article in a newspaper about McEntee which provided a contact number for anyone with concerns.
He spoke with the Clogher Diocese Safeguarding Director, who alerted police.
This complainant recalled being sent to the college dean for something minor, who at that time was McEntee.
He described being alone in a room with McEntee when an alleged sexualised incident occurred.
Mr. Magee said: “Why were these disciplinaries taking place in private rooms?"
The third complainant told police he ”wasn’t much of a student” and often found himself in detention, which was usually in the college library, but not when McEntee was on duty.
On one occasion he gave the boy money to wash his car, then took him to his private quarters.
Once there, McEntee put on classical music and had the boy sit on his knee.
He would also offer to take the boy various places, which the prosecution suggested was to spend more time with him.
The fourth complainant said at about 12 years old, his unwillingness to do his homework landed him in detention, but an attempt to escape this resulted in him being sent to McEntee.
He too described classical music playing, and McEntee sat him on his knee “for a chat” then allegedly touched him over his shirt.
The final complainant alleged McEntee, “had a habit of taking him to his private quarters” when he was about 13 or 14.
“The defendant would have [complainant] sit on his knee and ask if he’d been a good or bad boy, then smack his bottom,” said Mr. McGee.
“Why would he do that? This sort of thing would [allegedly] happen weekly. Was this pastoral care or sexual deviance?"
The boy said his behaviour changed because of what happened and he felt intimidated.
When arrested in March, 2023, McEntee was shocked by the allegations.
He confirmed working as a teacher and recalled names of “the very good ones but mightn’t remember the very bad ones” out of the hundreds of children he taught.
McEntee denied ever touching any children, branding some of what was put to him as “outrageous” and "fantasy".
At the commencement of another interview, McEntee’s solicitor read out a prepared statement denying all allegations, and adding he “would not be answering any more police questions”.
The trial continues.
Polish order appeals for prayers as Catholic priests face draconian sentences in Belarus
"He's the second priest to receive a heavy sentence recently, in what's clearly meant as a warning to other clergy not to engage in any public activity," said Father Marcin Wrzos, spokesman for the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
"All we can do now is seek good Belarusian lawyers -- people who'll step up to the challenge of defending him. Beyond that, what's most needed is prayer," he said.
The priest spoke with OSV News following the conviction of Father Juchniewicz, chairman of Major Superiors, Delegates and Representatives of Institutes and Societies of Apostolic Life in the former Soviet republic.
His sentencing in Belarus follows that given to Father Henrykh Akalatovich, an elderly parish rector from Valozyn, who began an 11-year sentence in a strict-regime penal colony April 20.
Father Wrzos said he had known Father Juchniewicz since seminary studies and was "personally shocked" by his plight, adding that his order was helping appeal the April 30 sentence by the regional court in Vitebsk.
"As far as we're concerned, Father Juchniewicz is innocent -- we count on his complete exoneration," Father Wrzos told OSV News.
"This case will have a chilling effect on religious life in Belarus, fuelling an atmosphere of fear that Catholic priests and nuns can be arrested or lose their visas anytime via untruthful accusations," he said.
The jailing of Father Juchniewicz after a protracted trial was not publicly announced in Belarus, but communicated unofficially to members of his parish, Our Lady of Fatima at Shumilina, where he was first detained a year ago.
In a statement, the Oblate order said an initial charge of undefined "subversive activities," believed to involve posting Belarusian and Ukrainians flags on social media, had later been changed to "criminal offenses."
It added that the priest, who holds dual Belarusian and Polish citizenship, had "consistently denied all accusations" at his closed trial, held "without any media or public presence," and said Catholics in the northeastern Vitebsk Diocese had supported him, "emphasizing his many years of impeccable service."
Meanwhile, an unofficial Catholic website, Katolik.life, said the court schedule indicated Father Juchniewicz had been charged with "three criminal offenses related to sexual relations with minors," after the original "political accusations" were set aside.
The website added, however, that the Vitebsk Diocese had "never received any complaints" about Father Juchniewicz. It said the length of his trial suggested prosecutors had faced problems finding "enough real evidence" for the "dubious charges."
Bishop Oleg Butkevich had attended some trial sessions, Katolik.life reported, but had been unable to conduct his own investigation into the sexual charges against the priest, as required by canon law, while he remained in detention.
Father Akalatovich began his 11-year sentence after the supreme court rejected his appeal of his "high treason" sentence in December.
A human rights group operating in exile, Viasna, reported that Father Akalatovich, who was secretly ordained under communist rule and widely admired for helping revive Belarus' once-repressed Catholic Church, had suffered a heart attack and undergone gastric cancer surgery during 13 months' pre-trial detention.
Meanwhile, Katolik-life said the priest was thought to have been accused of "transmitting information" about a military unit stationed near his Valozyn church, and had been denied opportunities to pray or say Mass.
In April, the website carried a letter from Father Akalatovich, confirming that he had been accused of "espionage for Poland and the Vatican," but insisting none of the dozens of witnesses summoned against him had provided "incriminating testimony" to support the claim, which was "based on lies, threats and blackmail."
The priest emphasized that it is not he who is being judged, but "the entire Catholic Church in Belarus."
Catholics make up around a 10th of the 9.4 million inhabitants of Belarus, where Alexander Lukashenko began a seventh term as president, after 31 years in power, after claiming victory in Jan. 26 elections with 86.8% of votes.
Dozens of Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant clergy have faced arrest since August 2020, when Lukashenko's previous disputed reelection was followed by international sanctions, and the flight of half a million citizens abroad, to escape harsh repression.
In his OSV News interview, Father Wrzos said Father Juchniewicz's case was viewed as "highly sensitive" by Belarus's Catholic Church, none of whose official websites have even mentioned his April 30 sentence.
"Since we have no legal status and aren't family members, we can't visit or communicate with him in detention," said the spokesman for the Oblates, whose over 3,300 members evangelize among the poor and marginalized in 14 countries, including the United States, Canada and Mexico.
"He was always a smiling, creative and open-minded person, who loved pastoral work among people -- I've no idea how he'll cope physically and psychologically with his current terrible plight," said Father Wrzos.
Both Father Juchniewicz and Father Akalatovich have been recognized by human rights among 1,186 political prisoners in Belarus.
Sunday, May 25, 2025
CW Investigates : Operation Truailliu (1)
We find ourselves now opening to you all another investigation which we have been quietly undertaking for some time, and it is in relation to the RC Diocese of Down & Connor and more specifically its disgusting and legally questionable actions in Milltown Cemetery.
To give you all a taste of what we are dealing with here, please read the following and just keep in mind that this is the modern equivalent of the Mother & Baby Homes in Tuam - and the sacred burial and resting grounds of beloved deceased relatives.
The greed of the Diocese of Down & Connor is insatiable to say the least, and when it comes to the desecration of graves, that tells us all we need to know.
Pope prays for China’s Catholics to be in communion with Rome
Pope Leo asked for prayers for China’s Catholics to be in communion with the Holy See, as he made his first public remarks about one of the thorniest foreign policy issues facing his new pontificate.
The Pope recalled that on Saturday the Catholic Church marked a special feast day to pray for the church in China.
Pope Benedict XVI had initiated the feast day as part of his efforts to unify China’s estimated 12 million Catholics who were divided between an official, state-controlled church that did not recognise papal authority, and an underground church that remained loyal to Rome through decades of persecution.
Leo noted that on the feast day, “in the churches and shrines in China and throughout the world, prayers have been raised to God as a sign of the solicitude and affection for Chinese Catholics and their communion with the universal church”.
Speaking from his studio window during his noon blessing on Sunday, Leo prayed that Catholics in China and elsewhere “obtain the grace to be strong and joyful witnesses of the Gospel, even in the midst of trials, to always promote peace and harmony”.
Pope Francis took Benedict’s unifying efforts further by approving a controversial deal in 2018 over bishop nominations.
The details of the deal were never released, but it affords the state-controlled church a say in its church leaders, though Francis insisted he retained veto power over the ultimate choice.
The deal has been criticised by some, especially on the Catholic right, for having caved to Beijing’s demands and sold out the underground faithful in China.
The Vatican has said it was the best deal it could get and it has been renewed periodically since then.
Leo will have to decide whether to continue renewing the accord. There have been some apparent violations on the Beijing side with some unilateral appointments that occurred without papal consent.
The issue came to a head just before the conclave that elected Leo as Pope, when the Chinese church proceeded with the preliminary election of two bishops, a step that comes before official consecration.
Leo told the archbishop of Hong Kong, Cardinal Stephen Chow, that he had “visited China several times and got to know the Chinese culture and reality”, according to the Fides missionary news agency, citing comments Cardinal Chow made in his diocesan weekly newsletter after the conclave.
Cardinal Chow added that he expects Leo would follow Francis’s direction for the church in China.
He said he had given Leo a small statue of Our Lady of Sheshan, a statue of the Madonna that is particularly venerated by Chinese faithful and is celebrated on the feast day, May 24.
Cardinal Chow, a Jesuit, said he had implored Leo “to not forget the church in China and the Chinese people”, according to the newsletter. “He nodded his head to indicate that he will not forget,” according to Fides.
The Vatican has been working for years to try to improve relations with China that were officially severed over seven decades ago when the Communists came to power.
Relations had long been stymied over China’s insistence on its exclusive right to name bishops as a matter of national sovereignty, while the Vatican insisted on the Pope’s exclusive right to name the successors of the original Apostles.
The 2018 deal was aimed at uniting the flock, regularising the status of seven bishops who were not recognised by Rome, and thawing decades of estrangement between China and the Vatican.
Pope declares ‘I am Roman’ as he completes formalities to become bishop of Rome
Pope Leo declared himself a Roman as he completed the final ceremonial steps cementing his role as the bishop of Rome.
The first American pope was formally taking possession of two papal basilicas in the Eternal City, a formality that serves to ceremonially introduce Leo to his Roman flock, on Sunday.
One of the many titles that Leo assumed when he was elected on May 8 was bishop of Rome.
Given his responsibilities running the 1.4-billion strong universal Catholic Church, popes delegate the day-to-day governance of running of the diocese of Roman to a vicar.
Sunday’s ceremonies at the St John Lateran and St Mary Major basilicas follow Leo’s visit last week to the St Paul Outside the Walls basilica.
Together with St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, the four papal basilicas are the most important basilicas in the West.
Rome’s mayor Roberto Gualtieri welcomed Leo first at the steps to city hall, noting that his May 8 election fell during a Holy Year, an event occurring every 25 years to invite pilgrims to Rome.
The city underwent two years of traffic-clogging public works projects to prepare and expects to welcome upwards of 30 million people in 2025.
Leo said he felt the “serious but passionate responsibility” to serve all Romans during the Holy Year and beyond.
Wearing his formal papal garb, Leo recalled the words he had uttered from the loggia of St Peter’s Basilica on the night of his election.
The Augustinian pope quoted St Augustine in saying: “With you I am Christian, and for you, bishop.”
“By special title, today I can say that for you and with you I am Roman!” he said.
Leo, 69, the former Robert Prevost, replaced Pope Francis, the first Latin American pope, who died April 21 and is buried at St Mary Major, near a beloved icon of the Madonna.
Pope's move to Apostolic Palace still uncertain
However, it remains to be seen when he will move into the rooms high above St Peter's Square.
According to reports, however, renovation work has already begun on the flat.
It had been mostly empty during Pope Francis' pontificate (2013-2025), with the Argentinian living in the Vatican guest house Santa Marta.
Pope Leo XIV currently still lives in the building of the religious authority right next to the Vatican.
He had only moved there a few months ago, when he was still a cardinal.
He had to vacate his first Roman cardinal's flat near the Vatican in Piazza Leonina so that it could be rented out at a profit.
As he had also previously lived briefly in the headquarters of the Augustinian Order, moving into the Apostolic Palace would be his third move within Rome following his relocation from Peru in spring 2023.
Teacher loses dismissal case over trans pupil row
The teacher, who cannot be named and has been referred to as A, refused after being asked by the Nottinghamshire County Council-run school to refer to the child with a male name and pronouns at the parents' request.
She was suspended from her role as a teacher in September 2021 as a row over how she should refer to the child continued.
A year later - after briefly returning to teach at the school - she was sacked after the school discovered she had been accessing the child's private files.
Claims that A had been subjected to detriment for making a protected disclosure, automatic unfair dismissal, ordinary unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal, direct religion or belief discrimination, and harassment related to religion or belief were all dismissed by the employment tribunal.
'Truth of the Bible'
After concerns were first raised by the teacher, Child X was moved to another class in the same year group "to safeguard him from any potential harm", the school said.
The teacher escalated her concerns and her representative wrote to the school saying "it would go against her conscience, informed by her Christian faith, to affirm a young child in their gender dysphoria".
She wrote to the headteacher that she believes "in the truth of the Bible", adding: "Sex is a God-given reality which should not be conflated with 'gender identity'. Being male or female is an immutable biological fact."
After returning to the school following suspension, A repeatedly accessed child X's online safeguarding file on the school's CPOMS system, the hearing was told.
"She was fully aware that her use of [the system] in this manner was unauthorised, and indeed she accepted during cross-examination that her access of the system was wrong," the tribunal ruled.
Acting on behalf of the county council, barrister Ed Beever said A had also "gone behind the back" of the school's designated safeguarding lead to do so.
Anonymity
The teacher wrote a letter to the school in February after accessing child X's reports several times, saying: "Based on the information I have seen and heard, child X is clearly suffering from serious mental health problems."
Employment judge Peter McTigue said in the ruling published on Friday: "In short, A believed that her opinion was correct and that the approach adopted by the school and by child X and their parents was incorrect.
"That was clearly unreasonable as A was not in possession of all relevant information regarding child X at any point in time including, for example, child X's medical information."
Judge McTigue also ruled that transitioning children should have anonymity over their true biological sex "for life" to respect their privacy and ensure their future safety.
In a statement after the ruling, A said she would appeal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal.
"I am very disappointed with the judgment," she said. "It misrepresents the facts.
"I ask myself if the courts are afraid of hearing any evidence that socially transitioning young children is harmful."
Religious group seeking to establish 'wife factories' as Dublin students warned
Students here have been urged by universities to exercise caution when interacting with groups on campuses after the Evangelical Christian group set up in Dublin.
Videos show Luke Snow, the main leader of the Dublin International Christian Church (Dublin ICC), telling the group that if they had closer relationships with their family and friends outside the church than with people in Dublin ICC, “you will not get to heaven”.
However, Mr Snow told the Irish Mirror: “We love God. We love Ireland.”
The Dublin ICC is an affiliate of the US-based International Christian Church which was founded around 2006 by Thomas ‘Kip’ McKean after he separated from a different organisation, named the International Churches of Christ, which he had founded in the 1970s.
Mr McKean is understood to no longer be the leader of the International Christian Church.
The International Christian Church describes itself as “part of a worldwide movement of SoldOut Disciples with the vision to evangelise the nations in this generation”.
Although initially based in America, the group has established several branches in Europe, including in London. In a YouTube video, named Doublin’ Dublin, published on September 1, 2024, Luke Snow stated that the Dublin International Christian Church had come to Ireland in 2023.
Mr Snow and his wife Francesca ‘Frankie’ Snow are living with their young son in an apartment in an affluent area of South County Dublin.
The church currently has 16 members. Videos posted on social media show ‘disciples’ being ‘baptised’ at several locations around Dublin, including the cross-shaped pool at the Garden of Remembrance.
Videos posted on the Dublin ICC Instagram and Facebook pages show the groups posting religious content using social media trends popular with young people.
They regularly advertised events on college campuses, including Trinity College Dublin, UCD, and the Technological University of Dublin (TUD).
A spokesperson for Trinity College confirmed to the Irish Mirror it had been “made aware of instances of this group approaching students”. They added: “Our approach is to ask them to leave the campus.”
Late last year, Dublin ICC organised a Christmas event at TUD.
A spokesperson said: “In November 2024, a communication was sent to students on behalf of the TU Dublin Students’ Union, urging students to exercise caution when attending events that are not affiliated with the TU Dublin Students’ Union or the University.”
Mr Snow said that he has never “been personally asked” to leave any college campuses, but did not know if his colleagues had been. When asked if they had been at college campuses, he said: “We have been evangelising all over the city.”
Francesca Snow took part in a ‘study’ session with female members called “Are You Marriage Material?”, posted on YouTube on April 10. She said that one of her “biggest passions as a disciple is making women into wives”.
Mrs Snow said: “God actually desires for us to be wives, which is so awesome. My job is to help everyone become wives as the elder.
“God wants us to be unashamed in wanting to be wives. I think that’s so awesome.
“Our sister households should be wife factories; just, like, making wives, producing wives”. She also said that “men are simple creatures” and should be given “submission, servitude and respect”.
She warned against becoming a “cat lady”, adding, “Our husbands lead us to heaven”. When asked if people were only allowed to date others in the church, Mr Snow said: “We believe in what the Bible says about marriage.
“The Bible is very clear that Christians should only marry Christians. I wouldn’t say it is a fair description [to call it an arranged marriage].
“I’ve been married for five years, have an awesome son, a beautiful daughter on the way. It was absolutely my choice.”
When asked about a “marriage factory”, Mr Snow said “the whole point is helping people to be the kind of person that would have a happy marriage”. He added: “Whether people want to get married is completely up to them.”
Members are expected to give a “tithe” to the church. In a sermon called “Acceptable Worship”, posted on YouTube in March, Mr Snow discussed financial contributions made by a 17-year-old member to the church.
Mr Snow said: “[The young man] is one of the biggest givers in the church when you talk about percentage. He’s a teen, so he don’t have that much money.
“The tithe is 10 percent. [The young man’s] vow is to give 50 percent of what he gets.
“In order to do that, he said, ‘Okay, I don’t need to eat this food today, I don’t need to buy that kind of thing’.
“Some of you guys don’t manage your finances half as what he thinks about. Now, it’s not the quantity. [He] doesn’t have this crazy amount of income that he can give.”
Mr Snow told the group that you can “always see the condition of someone’s faith based on their giving”. He also acknowledged that members of the church were having trouble holding down jobs and told them the reason they “keep getting fired is because they’re not faithful to their pledge”.
Mr Snow branded Islam a “totally false religion” and recently delivered a sermon called ‘Refuting Islam – The Doctrine of Deception’. During the Doublin’ Dublin sermon, Mr Snow spoke about the importance of disciples putting the church before their “physical family”.
He said: “Last week, we were speaking about family. We were talking about how we must put the family of God before any other relationship in our life.
“If you are not closer to the individuals in this room than you are your physical family or your friends from the world, you will not get to heaven.” Mr Snow also warned that people would have “weak, quiet times” where they were going to “fall away” as “your friend doesn’t want to talk to you anymore because you have your commitment to Jesus”.
When asked whether the group might be regarded by some as a cult, Mr Snow stated: “We love the bible. Anyone trying to do something great is going to get persecuted for it.”
Church in Ireland needs to wait for ‘anger to burn itself out’
The comments follow a new study that highlights how attitudes toward the Church are “deeply divided” in the once deeply Catholic country.
“The Church has to preach and practice the Gospel as best it can, continue to put its house in order with regard to the scandals, and essentially wait for this period of anger to burn itself out,” said David Quinn, the founder and director of The Iona Institute, that commissioned the poll.
“We should also keep in mind that the number of people with a largely positive view of the Church balances out those with a negative view, despite everything.”
The poll commissioned by the Institute shows that the Irish public are almost evenly divided in their attitudes towards priests and nuns, with almost exactly a third in each case viewing them positively, a third negatively, with the rest remaining neutral.
“Our research comes at a time of considerable change in Irish society,” the report says. “Not surprisingly, religious attitudes and beliefs are also changing as well. While perceptions of the Catholic Church remain negative on balance, especially among younger generations, nevertheless religious identity and spiritual orientation remain important for the vast majority of Irish people.”
Once one of the most Catholic nations in Europe, revelations about clerical sexual abuse has left public confidence in the Church at its lowest level in the history of Ireland.
Not only has Mass attendance dropped significantly over the past quarter century, the Irish people have increasingly rejected laws seen as rooted in Catholic teaching.
In 2015, the country held a referendum on same-sex marriage in which 62 per cent of the voters backed changing the constitution to allow the practice. An even larger number – over 66 per cent – voted to change the constitution to allow legal abortion in 2018.
The new poll showed that 42 per cent of those with negative views of the Church named abuse as a reason for their views, while 31 per cent named scandals. Only 17 per cent named “old-fashioned views” – such as attitude towards women, abortion and LGBTQ+ issues – as the reason, while 14 per cent named the traditional control of the Church on the country as a reason.
Quinn said that despite the high ranking of the abuse crisis, it nevertheless isn’t the primary reason for the falling status of the Church in Irish culture.
“I think even without the scandals, issues such as the Church’s past influence on society, its attitude to women – as critics see it – and more generally its ‘old-fashioned views’ would still be cited,” he told Crux.
“I think the scandals definitely increased public anger greatly, but I also think we would have had drastically reduced Mass attendance anyway due to secularisation. The Protestant Churches here have also seen huge falls in attendance. The scandals definitely mean increased negativity towards priests and religious though,” Quinn said.
The report noted that despite the legacy of the clerical abuse scandals, most people agree Catholic teachings and the Church itself “remain relevant and important to the wider sense of Irish identity and as a source of values and guidance for the future”.
It continues: “The challenges facing the Irish Catholic Church are clearly enormous but there are trends and preferences in our survey that point to possible future priorities. For example, there is an obvious hunger for spiritual insights and practices, with 18-24s (‘Gen Z’), for example, revealing a more open, more curious take on religion and spirituality than some older age groups.
“Much of what Catholic and other Christian believers affirm (however imperfectly) remains relevant, helpful and inspiring for most people in Ireland, even for many non-believers and non-Catholics,” the report says.
Unsurprisingly, the poll shows significant differences by age when it comes to how the Church is perceived, with younger people being more likely to hold a negative view and older people a more positive one.
Also unsurprisingly, regular Mass-goers have by far the most positive view of the Church, while those who do not consider themselves Catholic at all having the most negative one.
Breda O’Brien, a spokesperson for The Iona Institute, said it is not surprising that public attitudes towards the Catholic Church are so divided and that there is considerable negativity, “especially in view of all the scandals which are still fresh in the public mind”.
“It’s good to see that many people are less negative about the teachings of the Catholic Church than they are towards the institution,” she said.
The poll shows Christianity in general – and Catholicism in particular – remains a powerful source of individual and collective identity for many Irish people, one that will continue to resonate with younger and future generations as Ireland navigates the many challenges ahead.
“It’s interesting that older people, who are most familiar with priests and nuns are the least negative in their attitudes. Many young people never meet priests or nuns and their whole image is shaped by the scandals or by negative portrayals in the movies or in documentaries,” O’Brien added.
“But the vast majority of priests and nuns do good work in their parishes or in the wider community, and hopefully over time those who view priests and religious negatively will come to a more rounded view, and this will eventually be reflected in dramas and documentaries as well,” she said.
“We hear a lot from those who are most negative. Maybe it’s time that those who are more positive find their voice and are given space to express themselves as well,” she continued.
Quinn said that one of the main surprises from the poll “is that so many people have no opinion either way”.
“There is growing indifference. The Church is only a remote presence in Irish life for a lot of people and a big majority under the age of 40 would barely even meet a priest – except at funerals and so on – never mind a nun. A similar poll to this one in 20 years will probably find a lot more people with no opinion,” he told Crux.
“What also surprised me a bit is that the age group 18-24 – Gen Z – are a bit less negative in their views towards the Church than the Millennials. Perhaps in time this will lead to a mini-revival among some young people as seems to be happening in Britain and maybe in the United States,” he said.
German Church Pressures Pope Leo XIV
At the heart of this tension, the German Church is putting pressure on the new Pope by pursuing the creation of its Synodal Council, a project that is causing concern.
The banks of the Rhine seem calm in the spring of 2025, as a new successor of Peter has just taken the reins of the Church. It only an apparent calm, because the election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost to the sovereign pontificate does not necessarily benefit the German episcopate, largely determined to follow through with its synodal delusions.
Because the arrival of the new Pope seems to arouse a mixture of hope and questions among German reformers. Leo XIV, former Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, embodies a figure of openness. His first address to the cardinals reaffirmed a commitment in principle to synodality—without venturing into further details.
The German prelates see this as an implicit validation of their aspirations. Georg Bätzing, Bishop of Limburg and President of the German Bishops' Conference, expressed his optimism.
However, nuances emerge in Leo XIV's stance. As a cardinal, Robert Francis Prevost co-signed a letter in February 2024 warning the German bishops of the lack of canonical authority for their synodal project. This stance reveals a caution that contrasts with the reformers' enthusiasm.
In a recent statement, Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen described the Pope as "reserved" regarding German reforms, while Bishop Norbert Strotmann—who knew the current Pope well in Peru—expressed doubts about the upcoming approval of the German Synodal Council. He emphasized the importance for Pope Leo XIV of preserving the unity of the universal Church.
Here is a brief overview of the situation between Rome and the German Synodal Path.
The formation of a Synodal Committee with a view to establishing a Synodal Council
In a document entitled "Sustainably Strengthening Synodality: A Synodal Council for the Catholic Church in Germany," adopted on September 10, 2022, at the 4th Assembly of the Synodal Path (SC), it was decided to create a national "Synodal Council" composed of bishops and lay people.
The latter is described as an "advisory and decision-making body" that "deliberates on essential developments in the Church and society, and makes decisions of principle, of supra-diocesan importance, on pastoral planning, future issues, and budgetary matters of the Church that are not taken at the diocesan level."
Such a Council has been rejected by Rome: by the Curia during the ad limina visit of the German bishops in November 2022; then in a letter from three cardinals dated January 16, 2023, addressed to the German episcopate, by the Apostolic Nuncio to Germany on the occasion of the meeting of the German episcopate in Fulda in early September 2023, and by a private letter from Francis.
The body responsible for establishing this Council is the Synodal Committee, provided for in the texts of the SC to implement synodal decisions. This committee was established despite some setbacks. In a letter addressed to the German bishops in February 2024, Cardinals Pietro Parolin, Manuel Fernandez, and Robert Prevost requested that the Statutes of the Synodal Committee not be voted on.
The reasons: "a dialogue already underway" to be continued in the near future; and the fact that the Committee's Statutes "provide as their first task the establishment of a Synodal Council," which "is not provided for by current canon law, and a decision by the DBK on this matter would be invalid – with the resulting legal consequences."
The text recalls the discussions during the ad limina visit and the letter of January 16, 2023, which expressly requested that they "not pursue the establishment of such a Council." Approval of the Statutes would be in contradiction "with the instructions" of the Holy See. A meeting had been scheduled for October 2023 to "deepen the ecclesiological questions addressed by the Synodal Path."
Rome accepts the establishment of the Synodal Committee
During a meeting in Rome on March 22, 2024 the foollowing happened: "It was agreed to have a regular exchange between representatives of the German Bishops' Conference and the Holy See on the continuation of the work of the Synodal Path and the Synodal Committee." This means that the Curia had accepted the formation of the famous Synodal Committee, even though it had previously been banned. But under what conditions?
The only information provided was that "the German bishops have committed themselves to ensuring that this work serves to develop concrete forms of synodality in the Church in Germany, in accordance with the ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council, the prescriptions of canon law, and the results of the World Synod, which will then be submitted to the Holy See for approval."
Concretely, the Church in Germany could continue its synodal work, provided it respected the ecclesiology of Vatican II and current canon law. The Synodal Path was therefore able to elect its Synodal Committee to continue its work. Two meetings have taken place to date.
New Progress During the Vacancy of the Holy See
During the recent vacancy of the Apostolic See, the Church in Germany published a new document on blessings for same-sex couples, going beyond the already scandalous assertions of the 2023 Declaration Fiducia Suplicans. This initiative illustrates the growing autonomy of the German Church, which is ready to move forward without waiting for the explicit approval of the Holy See.
This attitude, which makes up part of the German Church's strategy, places the Pope in a delicate position. The Germans want to believe that the new Pontiff, perceived as a potential ally, will give in to their demands or, at the very least, let them do so. This pressure, both implicit and explicit, puts to the test the ability of the Roman Pontiff to navigate between reform and tradition as he sees fit.
One thing is certain: Leo XIV's reaction will shape the future of synodality in Germany and, by extension, of the universal Church. Suffice to say, the Catholic world is holding its breath, waiting to see how Peter's successor will chart the course.
Church live-streaming likely to lead to more defamation actions, evangelicals warn
His remarks follow a successful action by Warren Walsh who sued the Cornerstone Slieve Bloom Church in Tullamore, Co Offaly, for defamation arising from comments made by his daughter during a live-streamed Baptism ceremony there.
“If it happened once, it’s likely to happen again,” Mr Park said. “Churches would be perceived as easy targets.”
Mr Park, senior pastor at Solid Rock Church in Drogheda,said he has never live-streamed ceremonies from his church, mainly because of concerns about potentially faulty technology. “We pre-record and put them on YouTube or as podcasts,” he said.
He felt evangelical churches, such as the hundreds represented by the EAI, are particularly vulnerable to legal actions in live-streaming situations because, during services, “people are encouraged to make contributions which are not scripted”.
He recalled how in 2016 he was called as a witness in a Belfast court case, where an evangelical pastor who said Islam was “satanic” and “spawned in hell” was charged with making “grossly offensive” remarks about the Muslim religion.
Belfast Magistrates Court ruled that Pastor James McConnell had made “offensive” comments but they did not reach the “high threshold” of being “grossly offensive”.
In May 2015, at Whitewall Metropolitan Tabernacle Church in north Belfast, Pastor McConnell preached that a “new evil had arisen” and there were “cells of Muslims right throughout Britain” similar to IRA cells of the past. His sermon was also streamed online.
He continued that “Islam is heathen, Islam is satanic, Islam is a doctrine spawned in hell,” adding that there was “powerful evidence that more and more Muslims are putting the Koran’s hatred of Christians and Jews alike into practice”.
He was investigated by the PSNI for engaging in hate crime, which led to his prosecution at Belfast Magistrates’ Court under the UK’s 2003 Communications Act.
He denied charges of improper use of a public electronic communications network, and causing a grossly offensive message to be sent by means of a public electronic communications network.
In the Tullamore case, the father concerned was awarded €14,400, with the Cornerstone Slieve Bloom Church deemed responsible “for 40 per cent of that”, Mr Park said.
In its general guidelines for using parish webcams, Ireland’s Catholic Church advises that “any behaviour which is discordant with the holiness of the Church or which might cause hurt and scandal to members of the faithful is inappropriate and should be avoided”.
It also advises that “there should be no live streaming in churches when there is no Mass or Liturgy taking place”.
A spokesman for the Church of Ireland was “not aware of any cases of this nature involving Church of Ireland parishes or our other ministries.”
It too has published guidelines for all parishes in relation to live streaming and recording of services, and on the use of social media and digital communications more generally.
These note “that legislation, including the law on defamation, applies to digital and online communication as much as it does to print communication.”
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) was “not aware of any similar circumstances affecting a PCI congregation,” a spokesman said. “The main questions that we are asked, however, is in regards to the use of video clips and worship music copyright,” he said.
Young US men are joining Russian churches promising 'absurd levels of manliness'
In a YouTube video, a priest is championing a form of virile, unapologetic masculinity.
Skinny jeans, crossing your legs, using an iron, shaping your eyebrows, and even eating soup are among the things he derides as too feminine.
There are other videos of Father Moses McPherson - a powerfully built father of five - weightlifting to the sound of heavy metal.
He was raised a Protestant and once worked as a roofer, but now serves as a priest in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) in Georgetown, Texas, an offshoot of the mother church in Moscow.
ROCOR, a global network with headquarters in New York, has recently been expanding across parts of the US - mainly as a result of people converting from other faiths.
In the last six months, Father Moses has prepared 75 new followers for baptism in his church of the Mother of God, just north of Austin.
"When my wife and I converted 20 years ago we used to call Orthodoxy the best-kept secret, because people just didn't know what it was," he says.
"But in the past year-and-a-half our congregation has tripled in size."
During the Sunday liturgy at Father Moses's church, I am struck by the number of men in their twenties and thirties praying and crossing themselves at the back of the nave, and how this religion - with traditions dating back to the 4th century AD - seems to attract young men uneasy with life in modern America.
Software engineer Theodore tells me he had a dream job and a wife he adored, but he felt empty inside, as if there was a hole in his heart. He believes society has been "very harsh" on men and is constantly telling them they are in the wrong. He complains that men are criticised for wanting to be the breadwinner and support a stay-at-home wife.
"We are told that's a very toxic relationship nowadays," Theodore says. "That's not how it should be."
Almost all the converts I meet have opted to home-school their offspring, partly because they believe women should prioritise their families rather than their careers.
Father John Whiteford, an archpriest in the ROCOR from Spring, north of Houston, says home-schooling ensures a religious education and is "a way of protecting your children", while avoiding any talk about "transgenderism, or the 57 genders of the month or whatever".
Compared to the millions of worshippers in America's evangelical megachurches, the numbers of Christian Orthodox are tiny - only about one percent of the population. That includes Eastern Orthodoxy, as practised across Russia, Ukraine, eastern Europe and Greece, and the Oriental Orthodox from the Middle East and Africa.
Founded by priests and clergy fleeing the Russian Revolution in 1917, ROCOR is seen by many as the most conservative Orthodox jurisdiction in the US. Yet this small religious community is a vocal one, and what's unfolding within it mirrors broader political shifts, especially following President Donald Trump's dramatic pivot toward Moscow.
The true increase in the number of converts is hard to quantify, but data from the Pew Research Centre suggests Orthodox Christians are 64% male, up from 46% in 2007.
A smaller study of 773 converts appears to back the trend. Most recent newcomers are men, and many say the pandemic pushed them to seek a new faith. That survey is from the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), which was established by Russian monks in Alaska in the late 18th Century and now has more than 700 parishes, missions, communities, monasteries, and institutions in the US, Canada and Mexico which identify as Russian Orthodox.
Professor Scott Kenworthy, who studies the history and thought of Eastern Orthodox Christianity - particularly in modern Russia - says his OCA parish in Cincinnati "is absolutely bursting at the seams".
He's attended the same church for 24 years and says congregation numbers remained steady until the Covid lockdown. Since then, there has been constant flow of new inquirers and people preparing to be baptised, known as catechumens.
"This is not just a phenomenon of my own parish, or a few places in Texas," Prof Kenworthy says, "it is definitely something broader."
The digital space is key in this wave of new converts. Father Moses has a big following online - when he shares a picture of a positive pregnancy test on his Instagram feed he gets 6,000 likes for announcing the arrival of his sixth child.
But there are dozens of other podcasts and videos presented by Orthodox clergy and an army of followers - mainly male.
Father Moses tells his congregation there are two ways of serving God - being a monk or a nun, or getting married. Those who take the second path should avoid contraception and have as many children as possible.
"Show me one saint in the history of the Church who ever blessed any kind of birth control," Father Moses says. As for masturbation - or what the church calls self-abuse - the priest condemns it as "pathetic and unmanly".
Father Moses says Orthodoxy is "not masculine, it is just normal", while "in the West everything has become very feminised". Some Protestant churches, he believes, mainly cater for women.
"I don't want to go to services that feel like a Taylor Swift concert," Father Moses says. "If you look at the language of the 'worship music', it's all emotion - that's not men."
Elissa Bjeletich Davis, a former Protestant who now belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church in Austin, is a Sunday school teacher and has her own podcast. She says many converts belong to "the anti-woke crowd" and sometimes have strange ideas about their new faith - especially those in the Russian Church.
"They see it as a military, rigid, disciplinary, masculine, authoritarian religion," Elissa says. "It's kind of funny. It's almost as if the old American Puritans and their craziness is resurfacing."
Buck Johnson has worked as a firefighter for 25 years and hosts the Counterflow podcast.
He says he was initially scared to enter his local Russian Orthodox Church as he "looks different, covered in tattoos", but tells me he was welcomed with open arms. He was also impressed the church stayed open throughout the Covid lockdown.
Sitting on a couch in front of two huge TV screens at his home in Lockhart, he says his newfound faith is changing his view of the world.
"Negative American views on Russia are what worry me," Buck says. He tells me the mainstream, "legacy" media presents a distorted picture of the invasion of Ukraine.
"I think there's a holdover from the boomer generation here in America that lived through the Cold War," Buck says, "and I don't quite grasp why - but they say Russia's bad."
The head of the Russian Church in Moscow, Patriarch Kirill, has doggedly backed the invasion of Ukraine, calling it a Holy War, and expressing little compassion for its victims. When I ask Archpriest Father John Whiteford about Russia's top cleric, who many see as a warmonger, he assures me the Patriarch's words have been distorted.
Footage and photographs of Putin quoting Bible verses, holding candles during services in Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and stripping down to his swim trunks to plunge into icy water at Epiphany, seem to have struck a chord. Some - in America and other countries - see Russia as the last bastion of true Christianity.
Nearly a decade ago, another Orthodox convert turned priest from Texas, Father Joseph Gleason, moved from America to Borisoglebskiy, a village four hours' drive north of Moscow, with his wife and eight children.
"Russia does not have homosexual marriage, it does not have civil unions, it is a place where you can home-school your kids and - of course - I love the thousand-year history of Orthodox Christianity here," he told a Russian video host.
This wispy-bearded Texan is in the vanguard of a movement urging conservatives to relocate to Russia. Last August, Putin introduced fast-track shared values visa for those fleeing Western liberalism.
Back in Texas, Buck tells me he and his fellow converts are turning their backs on instant gratification and American consumerism.
"We're thinking of things long term," Buck says, "like traditions, love for your family, love for you community, love for neighbours.
"I think that orthodoxy fits us well - and especially in Texas."
Saturday, May 24, 2025
Archdiocese of New Orleans agrees $180 million abuse settlement
Archbishop Gregory Aymond said it could begin “a path to healing for survivors and for our local Church”.
The law firm Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP, representing abuse victims in the proceedings, said the sum represented “more than 20 times the archdiocese’s initial settlement estimate” when it first filed for bankruptcy in 2020.
The settlement, if accepted by the abuse survivors, would end five years of disputes over how the archdiocese handled sex abuse cases in the past and how it planned to compensate victims of clergy abuse.
The process was so protracted that US Bankruptcy Judge Meredith Grabill made the unusual move last month to order the archdiocese to defend the ongoing proceedings, demanding that Church officials explain why the bankruptcy case should not be dismissed by the court.
The law firm representing the victims said this week that in addition to the multimillion-dollar settlement amount, the archdiocese will also be required to publish “perpetrator files and other abuse-related documents”, and establish “a public archive that will serve as a repository of the history of abuse” within the archdiocese. That archive will be administered by a secular college or university.
The former Hope Haven orphanage outside New Orleans will receive a memorial to those who suffered sex abuse there. Multiple priests on the archdiocese’s list of credibly accused clergy allegedly committed abuse at that facility in the 1950s and 1960s.
In a statement on Thursday, Archbishop Aymond said the settlement gave him “great hope” because it “protects our parishes and begins to bring the proceedings to a close”.
“I am grateful to God for all who have worked to reach this agreement and that we may look to the future towards a path to healing for survivors and for our local Church,” the archbishop said, praising abuse victims for speaking out about what they endured.
“Please know that because of your courage in coming forward and your steadfast commitment to preventing the horrors of child sexual abuse, we are a better and stronger Church,” he said.
The settlement represents one of the larger sums in the US paid to victims of clergy sexual abuse. The Diocese of Buffalo, New York, said last month it will pay $150 million as part of a settlement with victims of clergy sexual abuse.
In December, the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, agreed to an abuse settlement proposal of $323 million, the highest abuse settlement paid out by a single US diocese, though the Archdiocese of Los Angeles last year said it would pay out nearly $900 million in abuse settlements.
On sexual abuse cases, can Leo’s past say much about the future? (Opinion)
Around the world, some Catholics hope that Leo will rescind Traditionis custodes, let the synod on synodality be consigned to the dustbin of history, or “answer the dubia,” as it were.
Others hope for the very opposite.
But in either case, it seems clear that most Catholics hope that Leo will prove adept at handling allegations of clerical sexual abuse and misconduct around the world, with many hoping the pontiff will bring the rule of law more consistently to an area of the Church’s life which has seemed in recent years to be governed by inconsistency or caprice.
But Leo’s track record on abuse has been consistently questioned, both before he became the Bishop of Rome and since, with some advocacy groups raising frequent concerns that Leo will not take sexual abuse and misconduct in the life of the Church seriously, or address it fairly.
Does his record indicate that? Without more information, it’s hard to know. In fact, there is little information to yet predict what kind of pope will be on addressing the profound ecclesiastical crisis of the 21st century.
Leo has been criticized for several issues in his own career related to clerical abuse and neglect.
In 2000, when he was provincial superior of the Augustinians, his province allowed a Chicago archdiocesan priest to live in a Augustinian residence, in very close proximity to a Catholic school, despite the fact that the priest was accused of serially sexually abusing school age children, and of grooming children at a parish school where he was in ministry.
The move was approved by then-Fr. Prevost, and the school near the rectory was not notified that the priest should not be admitted onto its property.
At issue is whether Fr. Prevost ought to have permitted the arrangement in the first place, and whether he should have notified school administrators of the potential risk to their students.
The decision was made in the year 2000, before the Boston Globe scandals of 2002, and before the promulgation of norms that aimed to change the Church’s culture on creating safe environments for children.
Those norms have changed a lot about ecclesiastical administration, and it’s not likely that the decision is predictive of Leo’s approach to such questions now.
If there is a broader question, it’s that Leo did not answer questions about the matter in recent years — discussing whether he regards it as a mistake, indicating whether he would make the same decision now.
For some, that could be seen to raise questions about the pontiff’s commitment to transparency during his tenure as a religious superior, diocesan bishop, and curial official.
But the pope’s decision not to answer such questions does not convey much about how he will handle cases of clerical sexual abuse as pontiff — in fact, quite the opposite, it makes it all the more difficult to predict.
More recently in Peru, then-Bishop Prevost was accused of mishandling clerical allegations made by three sisters. The women claim that when they reported abuse in the diocese in 2022, Prevost failed to open an investigation into the claims.
The Diocese of Chiclayo claims otherwise, saying that the former bishop, now pontiff, handled the allegations correctly, and that Prevost himself urged the alleged victims to contact the police.
In fact, priests in the diocese have said the bishop was decisive and attentive to the case — even while the alleged victims have a very different version of things.
It is unlikely that more clarity about the case will emerge.
It is also not clear what can be extrapolated from Leo’s record as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, where the pontiff served for two years as prefect — largely because it can’t be easily ascertained which decisions were Leo’s, and which belonged to Pope Francis.
Leo was, for example, prefect when disgraced U.S. Bishop Rick Stika resigned from leadership of the Knoxville, Tennessee diocese in June 2023.
On the one hand, Leo might be deserving of credit for resolving the situation, after years of relative inaction on the part of the Apostolic See.
On the other hand, the decision has been widely criticized to allow Stika to resign, instead of seeing him face canonical charges or be removed — especially lamented by those who say the Vos estis lux mundi process has allowed bishops too soft a landing after they’re found to have been negligent in their duties.
Still, it is not clear which part of those decisions belong to Leo, and which belong to Francis.
Similarly, controversial Bishop Joseph Strickland was removed from office 11 months after then-Cardinal Prevost became prefect at the bishops’ dicastery, responsible for handling the Strickland situation.
To some Catholics, Strickland’s removal was long overdue. To others, it was a travesty. There were few opinions in between those perspectives.
But whatever the case, there is no clarity about how much of the process regarding Strickland was directed by Prevost, and how much was directed by the pope or the apostolic nuncio, Cardinal Christophe Pierre.
Like the case of Stika, it gives little indication, therefore, of what Prevost will do as the man in charge himself.
If his past does not indicate how the pope will handle controversy around clerical sexual abuse and other kinds of misconduct, Catholics wondering about it will not have to wait long.
Leo's decision on his replacement as the prefect in the Dicastery for Bishops could say volumes.
If the cardinal appoints the current secretary of the dicastery, Archbishop Ilson de Jesus Montanari, some will expect business as usual in the dicastery, including ambiguities, vagaries, and little transparency in the application of Vos estis lux mundi around the world, and the discipline of bishops.
If he appoints a canonist, however, it might suggest a sea change, with a more consistent approach to the mandates of the dicastery itself.
The pope’s handling of the Rupnik affair will also be carefully scrutinized, and revelatory of his approach to matters of ecclesiastical discipline.
At the same time, some canonists have expressed concern that Leo find ways to reemphasize the procedural rights of priests and bishops themselves.
And on that front, many Catholics expect that a canonist pope will bring clarity to the Vatican’s competing definitions of “vulnerable adult,” and clarify whether the Francis’ established penal process for bishops — Come una madre — actually remains the Church’s effective law, and whether it will actually be used to effect episcopal discipline.
Those moves would be widely seen as efforts to ensure that the application of justice is fair both to those accused, and those who raise allegations of abuse and misconduct in the Church.
Both groups had complaints during the Francis papacy, and both will look for reform from Pope Leo.
The pope’s past is not especially revealing about his leadership style on cases of clerical abuse and episcopal misconduct in the life of the Church.
But his immediate future — the next few weeks — likely will be.
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